MANILA -- Like in Japanese culture, this restaurant from South Korea takes its food very seriously. Newly opened Kisoya doesn't believe in shortcuts but rather observes the best possible kitchen practices to ensure top quality of its food.

“If you put a lot of effort into making good food, it shows in the dish. One can taste how much effort someone has put into a dish, so that's what we try to emphasize. We don't buy ready made products. We make things from scratch and show to our customers, with this kind of price point, the standard is higher,” explained Kisoya marketing manager Kevin Kim.

Kisoya, a well established restaurant from South Korea, recently opened shop in the country, at the third floor upper veranda of the newly renovated Robinsons Galleria at Ortigas Center. It was founded in 1988 and is still going strong in the very competitive South Korean restaurant market.

The eatery takes pride in its food because it makes sure that its products are of the highest quality. For instance, the restaurant makes its own noodles—ramen, udon, and soba—in house. The staff makes the noodles every day from scratch with the help of a very expensive machine. This dedication is what made the restaurant very popular in Korea.

Kisoya Philippines also sources most of its ingredients from Korea like sauces, soup bases, and even the flour used in making the noodles. The fresh ingredients, on the other hand, like seafood and vegetables are sourced locally. The restaurant even has its own bread crusher machine, which makes panko bread crumbs from fresh bread.

Its offshoot eatery, Sonoya, also practices the same method in the kitchen. Sonoya is small stall-like shop focused on noodle dishes and donburi, while Kisoya is a full service restaurant. The restaurant's chefs also personally trained in Korea to ensure quality service.

Kisoya introduces itself as an authentic Japanese restaurant with a little bit of Korean fusion. It is known for its big portioned set menus.

“What we're trying to introduce to Filipino customers is that this is a not a fusion cuisine but more of a traditional Japanese with Korean fusion. We have to emphasize our history, since 1988, it's very successful in Korea,” Kim said.

One of its best-selling sets is the Hiyashi Soba Set, which consists of a big bowl of warm hiyashi soba, four pieces of sushi, a serving of tonkatsu, and a small bowl of cabbage salad.

For a more Korean flavor, the Kimchi Udon Set is a spicy spin on the classic Japanese udon dish. The kimchi udon is served piping hot along with a crunchy and juicy tonkatsu, cabbage salad, and a bowl of rice.

Kisoya's Philippine branch follows the exact menu from the original menu. But according to Kim, they have adjusted the serving size of the set menus because while the portions seem big already, the servings in Korea are much bigger. They also downsized the choices to not overwhelm Filipino customers.

“It's exactly the same menu, just the servings were changed. In Korea the servings are much bigger. Consumers here eat more often but not too much. Korean consumers, however, eat fewer meals but they consume a lot,” he said.

The restaurant still has an extensive menu despite the downsize. Kisoya offers classic Japanese starters like chicken karaage, gyoza, and edamame. There's a spicy version of the edamame that is a must try. There's also various ramen from the classic shoyu and miso to the more Koreran seafood tantanmen.

Likewise, several sushi and sashimi, as well as sushi roll like the Dragon Roll (ebi tempura roll with salmon and mango). Also, donburi or rice toppings, and it also offers Japanese curry.

Kim also said they have plans of opening Kisoya branches at other Robinsons malls. They are also opening other restaurants from Korea including Master Go and Jangmonim Chicken.